1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a process of cutting elongated dough masses, such as the extruded dough and apparatus for such process.
2. Prior Art
Fluid jet cutting has been used commercially, for example, to cut paper and to make cardboard puzzles. Fluid jet cutting has also been used to cut plastics in the food industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,838 teaches the slitting of the upper surfaces of parallel rows of proofed dough pieces by a plurality of fluid jet spray nozzles. On its face, the patent teaches that quite irregular faces are provided when slitting proofed dough using fluid jet sprays. Exposed surfaces 128 of slit 127 shown in FIG. 4 are quite irregular and are not what could be termed clean or smooth. The patent list buns, breads and coffee cakes as examples of the types of proofed dough it uses. A fluid pressure of about 20 to 40 p.s.i. is used. The patent specifically teaches using water, oil, butter or margarine as the fluid jets, but does not teach the use of a mixture of a polymer and an edible oil as the fluid (liquid) for the cutting jets.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,113 directs a jet of water against peeled citrus fruits positioned under water to separate fruit segments.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,822 separates or forces apart the segments of rotating peeled citrus fruits using a jet of water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,367 teaches the cutting of hardwood by means of a high velocity liquid jet, which is enhanced by dissolving a long chain polymer (for example, gelatine, polyacrylamide and polyethylene oxide) in the liquid. The jet liquid pressure used is between 10,000 and 100,000 p.s.i. Sufficient long chain polymer is used to raise the viscosity of the liquid at low shear rates, but the viscosity significantly drops at the high shear encountered when the liquid exits from the nozzle. The liquid is usually water, but the liquid can be various low-viscosity non-chlorinated oils, alcohols and glycerine. The result is that the jet liquid used in the patent can be a mixture of a long chain polymer and a low viscosity non-chlorinated oil. Methyl cellulose can be used as the long chain polymer and the patent notes that it is non-toxic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,197 teaches coating compositions for foodstuffs, such as chocolate and dried fruit, composed of jojoba oil which is hydrogenated either substantially completely and used in solution in a volatile solvent such as acetone, or partially to a liquid which remains clear for at least 24 hours at 25.degree. C. or less. The coating provides improved stability to the coated foodstuff as compared with the unhydrogenated oil. The partially hydrogenated oil is preferably of low transcontent and may have an Iodine Value as little as 2 units below that of the original oil.
The brochure "McCartney Fluid Jet Cutting System", McCartney Manufacturing Company, Inc., (Ingersoll-Rand), (1979), teaches the use of a fluid jet for the production cutting of foam products, filter paper, gypsum board, granite, fiber reinforced plastics, bakery products, cakes, etc. The fluid jet system uses pressurized water/polymer or water. The fluid jet has velocity of about twice the speed of sound.
The article "Water `Laser` Cuts Food Products Without Dust, Noise Or Maintenance", Food Engineering, (July 1982), page 99, discloses the use of fluid jet cutting to cut angel food cakes, apple pie wedges, cheese cakes, date nut cakes and fig cookies. The applications include cakes, cookies, candy bars and bakery products. The product can be fresh or frozen, and can be packaged. The fluid used for the fluid jet cutting is water. The water pressure used is between 20,000 and 45,000 p.s.i. The water is ejected through a very small orifice (i.e., about 0.1 to about 0.005 inch) at a velocity of about twice the speed of sound. No water is absorbed by the cut product. The use of up to eight nozzles is taught.
Fig newtons or fig bars are made from a long dough tube forming a dough jacket containing a fig jam. The filled dough tube is baked and then cut into pieces. Fig newtons have bulking material included.
Blueberry newtons like fig newtons are first baked in tube form and then cut into pieces. Blueberry newtons or blueberry bars have an outer dough in a jacket form and an inner blueberry fruit filling. Due to the fruit pieces in the blueberry fillings, there is no bulking agent. The blueberry newtons are first formulated from a long tube-like sheath with the blueberry fruit filling inside. It is this filling dough which is baked and cooked. A rotary cutting blade is used to cut the baked tube filled with blueberry fruit filler into pieces. As a particular portion of the rotary blade rotates out of the cutting area, water is sprayed onto the blade cutting surface in order to wash off a build-up of the baked material which sticks onto the blade due to its viscosity and stickiness. Another method that has been used to try to prevent build-up on the rotary cutter blade is the use of a flame to burn off the sticking material. A disadvantage of this is that often the burnt material falls onto or into the blueberry newtons.